"Out of every challenging situation there shall be a New Birth of Faith."

Bishop Oswald Nelson,

the founder and pastor of North Side Tabernacle of Praise Church is a man of faith, not just mustard seed faith but crazy faith. He has an anointing on his life to meet people where they are whether they are rich or poor, young or seasoned, skilled or unskilled. Bishop Nelson has been groomed and called by God to minister to people from all walks of life and especially to those who have never met Christ. Knowing full well that God had called him to ministry, he pursued further training. He completed the Ministerial Internship Program in March of 1992. Continuing his studies, he earned the level of Ordained Minister in May 1994; and after years of faithful service and intense study, he was ordained as Bishop by the Church of God headquarters in Cleveland Tennessee in May 2000.

In 1996 Bishop Nelson was then called to his first pastoral assignment at Tabernacle of Praise Worship Center, which was located in Chicago, Illinois on the city’s north side. He took this totally new, fledgling ministry with 7 members (3 adults and 4 children) and labored diligently with God’s help and guidance to develop it into a vibrant growing ministry. He is dedicated to outreach in our community, creating an environment that makes every person feel the love of God through his people. His vision is to build a ministry that will meet the needs of people in a holistic way: by faith, empowerment, health, finance, education and skill trades training.

Bishop Nelson resides with his family in Des Plaines, Illinois. He has been married for over 30 years to a beautiful and awesome God-centered woman, Jacqueline Nelson. He is the father of 2 incredible children, Brandon and Shaneese, an amazing daughter-in- law Autumn; who has blessed them with two incredible grandchildren, Jethro and Ivy. Bishop Nelson’s passion is to build a church were love works, seeking to bring the masses into the knowledge of Jesus Christ, thereby expanding the Kingdom of God. It is a passion that burns brighter today than it did the day he began the journey!